Retracting web reel with web tensioning ratchet wrench and ratchet for holding tensioned web



Apnl 4, 1967 F. DAVIS 3,312,451

RETRACTING WEB REEL WITH WEB TENSIONING RATCHET WRENCH AND RATCHET FOR HOLDING TENSIONED WEB Filed March 2, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR f/PA/Vk 4. DA W5 ATTORNEY April 4, 1967 F. L. DAVIS RETRAGTING WEB REEL WITH WEB TENSIONING RATCHET WRENCH AND RATCHET FOR HOLDING TENSIONED WEB Filed March 2, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRANK L. DAV/S A TTOANEV United States Patent RETRACTING WEB REEL \VITH WEB TENSION- ING RATCHET WRENCH AND RATCHET FOR HOLDKNG TENSKONED WEB Frank L. Davis, Northport, N.Y. 1 (Box 760, Rte. 25A, Fort Salonga, N.Y. 11768) Filed Mar. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 531,100 1 Claim. (Cl. 254-464) The invention herein disclosed relates to tiedown equipment and the objects of the invention are to provide a detachably mounted, web retracting reel, which may be faced and angled in different directions, to suit the load, which will have web tensioning means and means for securing the reel in the web tensioned condition and which with these and other advantages will be of practical, durable and reasonable cost construction.

The foregoing and other desirable objects are accomplished by novel features of construction, combination and relation of parts; as illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a reel incorporating features of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

In the form of heavy duty reel shown, the web 7 is made fast to a shaft 8, serving as the drum, journalled between side plates 9, spaced by studs or bolts 10 and the load is carried by links 1 1 in which the shaft is journalled and which are located at the outer side of the plates and connected with the same horizontal pivot stud 12, on which the side plates are mounted.

This horizontal supporting shaft is shown pivotally mounted in the upstanding ends 13, of a horizontal base plate 14 and the latter is secured for angular adjustment about a vertical axis on a holddown screw 15, adapted to be turned by a channel wing '16 into a selected screw socket, for instance, in the deck of a ship or other carrier.

The shaft is turned in a web retracting direction by a coiled spring 17, secured to the shaft at the inner end and to the wall of a fixed housing 18, at the outer end.

The shaft has squared or other non-circular opposite end portions 19 and on these squared portions are engaged ratchet wheels 20, with teeth faced to hold the shaft against turning in the web unwinding direction and to permit the spring to turn the shaft in the web retracting direction.

These holding ratchets are located within the spring housings close to the outer faces of the side plates, in position to be engaged by the holding dogs or pawls 2 1, pivoted at their lower ends on a cross shaft 22, extending through the links 11 and side plates 9, and carrying abruptly faced reinforcing plates 23, constituting the true pawls or dogs in engagement with the ratchet wheels.

The pawl levers 21 are connected at the top by a cross handle 24 and these levers are tensioned in a ratchet engaging direction by a spring 25.

The lower portions of the spring housings 18 are shown cut out at 26, to admit the load carrying links and the dogs or holding pawls, at the outer sides of the frame plates 9.

The rewinding springs, holding ratchets and pawls are covered and protected within the spring housings and the openings 26 left for links and pawl levers need be only sufiicient for a sliding fit of the links and levers so as to be substantially closed by these parts.

When the release handle 24 is pulled out, the drum is free to turn and the web may be drawn out against tension of the spring as far as needed and hooked onto a stationary part or other support, whereupon the spring will hold the web under spring tension and the ratchets 3,312,451 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 and pawls will hold the drum against turning in the web unwinding direction.

-While this spring tension may be sufiicient for some holding purposes, the invention involves the use of a ratchet socket wrench, such as shown at 27, which may be engaged over either squared end of the drum shaft to put as much tension as may be desired on the web, the ratchets holding this takeup, as applied.

The ratchet wrench is detachably engageable over the ends of the shaft, so that it may be removed after tensioning the web and thus not constitute an element of possible danger in the handling of the reel.

The vertical securing stud 15 enables the reel to be readily mounted and dismounted in different places of securement and to be turned about a vertical axis to face in different directions, according to character and position of the load and the horizontal pivot 12 enables the reel body to be angled as need be to fit the load.

The double retrieving springs, one at each end of the shaft, applies the rewinding force to opposite ends of the shaft, providing maximum power within limited space and use of reasonable size springs to accomplish the rewinding effort and the exposure of opposite angular ends of the shaft enables application of the tensioning ratchet at whichever end is available or most convenient.

While generally termed a web reel, it will be appreciated that this is not by way of limitation, as the invention is adapted to the handling of aircraft cable and other forms of tiedown connections, and the claims are to be so considered.

It is to be realized also that the invention is not limited to the length of webbing or other flexible connection that can be wound upon the reel, for such length can be extended by coupling a further length or lengths of similar webbing or connection.

Thus in the illustration, the web 7 is shown in FIG. 1 as carrying an end plate or tongue 28, having a keyhole or other slot or slots 29 therein, adapted for instance to be hooked over the head of a deck screw or to be engaged by a headed stud or hook on the end of an additional length of webbing sufiicient to extend to an anchorage which the length of web on the reel would not reach.

What is claimed is:

A tiedown reel comprising:

a web winding shaft,

springs for turning said shaft in a web winding direction,

ratchets and cooperating releasable dogs for holding said shaft against rotation in the web unwinding direction, and

web tensioning ratchet lever means for turning said shaft in the web winding direction, to be then secured by said ratchets and pawls,

a frame made up of spaced side plates and load carrying links at the outer sides of said side plates,

said web winding shaft being journalled in said frame between said side plates and load carrying links, said springs being separate springs engaged with opposite end portions of said shaft,

spring housings on the frame over said springs and to which said springs are connected,

the opposite end portions of the shaft being non-circular and exposed at the outer sides of said spring housings,

said ratchets being disposed on the opposite end portions of the shaft within said spring housings,

said ratchet holding dogs being pivoted on the frame in releasable engagement with said ratchets,

said web tenisoning ratchet lever means including a ratchet lever detachably engageable with said exposed non-circular opposite end portions of the shaft,

a supporting base,

means for detachably mounting said supporting base in angularly adjustable relation about a vertical axis,

a horizontal pivot stud carried by said base and said side plates and load carrying links being engaged 5 with said horizontal pivot stud.

Jacobs 242-1075 McKissick 254-195 Montgomery 254-163 Ibey 254-164 Alexander 254-164 Gray 254-164 EVON C. BLU'NK, Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner. 

